On Saturday, January 31, 2026, the Newtown AYLUS members organized and hosted a community reading session for elementary school students. For this meeting, the volunteers and the children read the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio: a widely loved 2012 novel that later adapted to a film. Instead of picking a short or simple picture book, the group intentionally selected a substantial chapter book to help young readers stretch their abilities, build stronger literacy skills, and think more critically about the themes within the story. Three volunteers guided a small group of 6 children, creating a relatively small sized, friendly, and encouraging environment where everyone felt comfortable participating. The children read aloud in turns, which helped them practice reading fluency while staying connected to the plot.
During this session, the group read pages 192-214, which mentioned Justin Hollander and August Pullman’s perspective of the story. Justin manages to obtain the lead role of stage manager in the new school play, “Our Town”. However, the short time expectation for the new play forces Justin to balance his schedule, While waiting with Justin for the Bus, Julian, Henry, and Miles lurk behind Jack, attempting to pull a prank. This causes Jack to explain to Justin how the “war” in school was the main factor contributing to the teasing and bullying. Conflicts between Justin and Olivia arise when he realizes that a girl named Miranda was surprisingly an amiable person, not the total jerk that Olivia remarked. Olivia breaks into tears, ashamed she kept this secret to herself for so long, and reveals her fear of August embarrassing her at the school play because of his medical condition. On the other hand, August and Jack had a sublime science fair score of an A! Unfortunately, August’s hearing significantly deteriorates, as the sound of the outside world becomes more and more distant. he is later required to receive hearing aids, which he resents, but his doctor is still able to convince him to wear them.
The session was very successful. With the volunteers’ support, the students were able to follow the storyline clearly, Compared to the previous meeting, the children showed noticeable gains in confidence and reading skill. Their enjoyment of the story, along with the academic progress they demonstrated, made the event especially meaningful for both the students and volunteers.
Participating members included Edward Soong (event leader), Kylee Guo, and Rumi Tian, each contributing one volunteer hour.